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Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) walked right int a rhetorical trap set by comedian and HBO host Bill Maher on Friday, criticizing a statement he believed came from President Donald Trump about the military action in Iran only to find out that it was former President Barack Obama who said it in defense of his own actions in Libya.<\/p>\n
Schiff was clearly taken aback when Maher informed him the statement \u2014 regarding whether or not the administration could carry out military strikes without congressional approval \u2014 had come from the Obama administration regarding Libya, and quickly backpedaled.<\/p>\n
WATCH:<\/strong><\/p>\n Bill Maher sets up Sen. Adam Schiff by reading a vague quote justifying military action. Schiff blasts it as \u201ctotally vague,\u201d assuming it\u2019s about Trump\u2019s Iran strikes.<\/p>\n Maher then reveals: \u201cOkay, cause that\u2019s from Obama about Libya.\u201dpic.twitter.com\/PqNdpCeDqA<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Brandon Straka #WalkAway (@BrandonStraka) March 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cThis statement from the administration: \u2018The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that such use of force was in the national interest.\u2019 That\u2019s too vague for you?\u201d Maher asked Schiff.<\/p>\n \u201cTotally vague,\u201d Schiff agreed.<\/p>\n Maher dropped the other shoe then, saying, \u201cOK. Because that\u2019s from Obama about Libya.\u201d<\/p>\n Schiff, obviously set back on his heels, scrambled to reassess and landed on Obama\u2019s actions with regard to Syria. \u201d<\/p>\n Well, Obama made the argument, um, initially that he could go into Syria without an authorization,\u201d the senator said while trying to gather himself, adding that he opposed the move.<\/p>\n \u201cI and many others pushed back on that argument. Ultimately, he did not go forward with going after Assad \u2014 even though Assad was gassing his own people \u2014 because he thought he might lose the vote in Congress,\u201d Schiff said. \u201cBut I respect the fact that, uh, that was important to [Obama], and the fact that he did not have the support of Congress meant that we weren\u2019t going to go forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Schiff opted not address the source of the initial statement \u2014 the action in Libya \u2014 where the Obama administration engaged in military action that lasted for months and was challenged by Congress as an \u201cillegal\u201d and \u201cunauthorized\u201d action. The House voted against authorizing the action in Libya in June of 2011, and a bipartisan group of ten House members filed suit<\/a> against the Obama administration for bypassing Congress in order to pursue military action without approval.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n